


Deep Breaths

by Madame de flammes (owlaholic68)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesty, Drowning, Episode Related, F/F, The Adventure Zone: Amnesty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 14:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14546271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlaholic68/pseuds/Madame%20de%20flammes
Summary: On the importance of water.





	Deep Breaths

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers through Episode Eight of Amnesty.

Aubrey dreamt of drowning, once.

She was young. Six or seven, maybe. She’s never been great at distinguishing those sorts of things. It was a standard dream to have, normal. Everyone has dreams about drowning at some point, or falling or being naked in school. But in this dream, there were no water monsters, there was no faint glow of fire under her skin, no talking sword, no one else with her. 

She was alone, just the water and a heavy lead-like feeling weighing down her limbs. One of those dreams, the ones where you can’t move, where you can’t run away, or in this case, swim. Just the water pressing down and the numbness.

Her younger self didn’t know what drowning was actually like. Her younger self had put her head below the water once, and didn’t like the pressure and the mild claustrophobia and the chlorine in her eyes, and she hadn’t done that again. 

But Aubrey feels like she’s about to learn what drowning feels like. Right now, in this high school pool, capital-d Drowning is looking her right in the face.

Aubrey sees Duck draw his sword and freeze up, and there’s nothing she wants to do more in this moment than do the same. But Ned is in trouble. One of her friends, kind of, is in danger, and Aubrey needs that to  _ not  _ be the case. 

So she does what she does best: magic. And she also does something else she’s unfortunately good at: drawing unwanted attention. 

“Aubrey!” She hears Ned shout as Duck drags him out of the water. 

Then the wave crashes into her. 

It wraps her up in its watery embrace, its deadly wet hug, its strangling handshake. She has a moment to feel relief that Ned and Duck aren’t in danger before it hits, almost knocking her clear off her feet, one gloved hand over her nose and mouth. 

They were supposed to stay out of the water, but the water has come to them instead, and with a vengeance. Aubrey’s lungs are already burning. She hadn’t had enough time to get a good breath in. She’s torn between trying to hold her breath even longer, and a nasty instinct to try and breathe in the water. 

And it’s cold, she’s made this water so cold, this water that’s dragging her down, and maybe this is what drowning feels like-

Then the water is gone, disconnected from its pool source. 

She doesn’t like close calls like that. She doesn’t like that floating numb feeling, that shortness of breath that she’d experienced in the cave with the other Abomination. If it was up to her, she’d never feel anything like that ever again. The echoes of her eight-year old self whisper that wish in the back of her mind.

But she’s in the Pine Guard now. This is what she does. 

* * *

That morning, before this Hunt, Aubrey had felt that something was in the air. So she did what she always does when she gets nervous: she takes care of Dr. Bonkers. 

Hay supply: full. Litter box: emptied. Food pellet container: sufficient. Chewing objects and toys: taking up every square inch of Dr. Bonkers’ pen. Water: full. Everything that Dani will need to take care of him during the Hunt that was anticipated to take place in a few days was laid out and double-checked. 

The water. Aubrey hadn’t thought about the water at the time. That morning, it was  _ just  _ water, nothing more. She’d gone to the sink and emptied out the feeder bottle, giving it a quick rinse before refilling it and snapping it back in place. 

Barclay is saying something about tracking, about the water monster hunting them down and killing them when they least expect it. 

All Aubrey can think about is Dr. Bonkers, upstairs in the lodge, drinking water. 

* * *

A few years ago, for the month of August, Aubrey challenged herself not to eat chocolate. She’d been on the road a lot, and had started to notice that her diet had become rather...bad. Fast food, packaged sandwiches and snacks, whatever she would pick up from dingy gas stations. 

But it was cheap and it was fast. She spent most of her time and money making sure that Dr. Bonkers had good-quality food, clean water, and fresh crunchy hay. It was a diet of necessity, convenience, and habit, so  _ all  _ of it was hard to get rid of so easily. But the heaps of wrappers from chocolate chip cookies and chocolate-studded Clif bars were another story. That was simple: no more chocolate. 

Chocolate was not a necessity. She did not need chocolate to live. 

But water…

* * *

“You...okay?” 

Aubrey turns, her hand still on the door. “Uh, I’m fine!” She gives Dani a smile that feels a little too much like a wince. “I’m just, you know, waiting for the bathroom!” 

“There’s no one in the bathroom, Aubrey.” 

Well, that was obvious. Now Aubrey feels silly, like all of the dumb thoughts racing through her brain are visible on her face. She rubs the back of her neck. “Uh, well…” 

“It’s the water, isn’t it?” Dani is calm and honest. Dani does not sound judgemental. If anything, she sounds understanding, one warm hand on Aubrey’s bare arm. 

Aubrey shrugs. “Yeah. It’s just, Barclay was talking about the Abomination hunting us down when we least expect it. And it already knows we’re here, judging by the whole incident with Jake.” She glances over her shoulder towards the bathroom. “And water is everywhere. Anything could happen.” 

“Would it make you feel better if I went in with you?” Dani gestures towards the door. “I’ll turn my back, and you just keep talking to me so I know if something happens.”

“Yeah,” her voice cracks. This is good. She should focus on Dani instead of the sort of impending doom-danger atmosphere that she’s letting herself get worked up into. “Yeah, that sounds good.” 

At least she won’t be alone. 

**Author's Note:**

> Uhhh not enough Aubrey fics, am I right?
> 
> The thing with putting your head underwater comes from my own experience, where I get a little freaked out if my head goes under, even for a second. 
> 
> Also WHERE is Dr. Harris Bonkers, PhD????


End file.
